If the pavement is wet or even slightly damp, the Xootr can skid and cause an accident. No such issue with the rubber tire of the KickPed. In dry conditions, the polyurethane tires on the Xootr will not let you down, but dampness is all it takes to ruin your day. Polyurethane and water add up to falling down painfully.

Also the deck is trimmed down from the original “KnowPed” and the front brake is omitted, leaving a “spoon” brake for the rear wheel. NYCEWheels says it’s to reduce maintenance, but it will reduce faceplants (more here) as well, a very real danger for something with such a small wheelbase and small wheels.

Now one of these, folded in a backpack (maybe not), could be a “lifeboat” for a full-grown footbike :) – or a way to get to a rural mailbox or down the street. Shove one in the trunk of your car and forget about it.

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8 Responses

Hi Pete,
Though I read this thread about modifying the Goped (and presumably the Knowped) handle bar heighthttp://www.gopednation.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-288642.html
(circa 2009), the Knowped handlebars look like they are welded to the steering tube. Can a different pair of handle bars, such as some BMX high-rise bars, be used to get increased height and/or width?

I ordered and received a KnowPed from Amazon and have begun modifying it a la the KickPed (and will put up a detailed post when I’m done).

Since it was marked down pretty nicely I took a chance on the handlebar configuration, which worked out for me – they happen to be the same height as my Kickbike’s handlebars (38-1/2 inches from the ground to the tube center) and just right for me, at 5’8″ tall.

And yes, the bars are welded to the tube, which has a peg to stop the spring that locks the steering tube in place unfolded. A new steering tube/handlebar could be created by someone with metal-working skills, but that’s not me.

(BTW the forum you quoted, of GoPed users – the original motorized version of the scooter – is a gas!)

I’m not a fan of straight-across handlebars, but I don’t plan on riding the KnowPed for very long at a time, and for a half-hour or so they feel fine.

And, so far, riding it is a hoot. I removed the front brake and will cut down and seal the deck. (The reviews on Amazon average out to 4-1/2 stars. Me? So far I’m lovin’ it. A blog post on the scooter and my KickPed customization will be coming soon.)

Hi Pete,
Thanks for replying so promptly: I look forward to your blog post on your Knowped mods & experience. I don’t have a Knowped, but a Razor A5, however it’s doesn’t matter as my knees aren’t up to the task yet (small scooters are much less stable and wiggle around more than a KickBike and as such put more strain on tendons & such). My A5 mods will probably limited to trying different wheels, hopefully including rubber-tired ones!

Update: I thought I had completed the mods, but when I went to ride it with the cut-down deck, I found that the non-slip GoPed logo on it makes it impossible to pivot my feet when I go to change legs. The scooter’s a little too wiggly to hop-switch on, so I’m thinking I’ll turn the deck over, which means countersinking the other side’s mounting holes and drilling one, as one of the rear fender-brake holes is off-center.

The original deck, while wide, would probably have worked better as there was roon for both feet side-by-side, allowing one to just step down with the right or left foot to kick.

The aftermarket GoPed decks I’ve found, while beautiful, are expensive enough for me to avoid buying one — for now =)

While the bars are welded to the top tube, it’s not a problem to carefully cut them off with a hacksaw just below the weld, file the edges smooth, and then use a standard quill bike stem in the newly created hole. I ran one like this for several years on a ped before finally giving it away. That will allow you to use any bar you see fit.

How do you make your most popular product even better? It’s usually by tweaking something so obvious and basic that you normally wouldn’t think of it. That’s just what happened with our well know and loved KickPed scooter. We’ve turned the handlebar hinge 90 degrees and that, believe it or not, makes a world of difference!

Up until a few weeks ago our KickPeds had been shipping with the handlebar off the scooter which required assembly. This was to save our customers shipping expenses and keep the box smaller. But it was just plain annoying to have to install that handlebar. Everyone loves the “out of the box ready to go” idea and so we got to thinking how to tackle this problem.

The solution came to Bert out of the blue and I was a little resistant at first. How could such a small change make such a big difference? And yet it does.

It’s folds up flatter than ever, making travel and storage easier than ever. Just rotate the handlebar 90 degrees prior to folding it – simple! Order your KickPed today and get this improved design of the best adult kick scooter ever.

Another scooter that deserves serious consideration is the Venus Xooter as it has a narrow sculpted deck that allows very efficient kicking. It is more expensive, but for amid this Xooter is an excellent choice. (Link added by Pete Hummers)